Recognizing the beautiful symmetry of the simple yet majestic flower, a few modern architects have recreated the flower’s structure in large form by constructing flower-shaped buildings. These amazing structures use advances in building construction to not only create rounded petal-shape spaces, but also to make these buildings energy-efficient and “green.” Discover Gainan’s Flowers selection of some of the best floral-inspired architecture from across the globe.
Lotus Blossom
Lotus Temple, Dehli
Lotus Temple view from above
Delhi, India
An extraordinary marble-clad concrete lotus flower stands out in its beauty within the urban landscape around it. The Lotus Temple is a house of worship which open to all people of all faiths and all religions. The design is based on the Lotus Blossom flower, the sacred flower of India, and has twenty-seven petals that create a circle form and hug a large interior dome area that has no idols, carvings, or pictures. Instead, reflections of light and water provide the only decor. It is intended to make people focus on the beauty of nature and all of creation. The nine reflection pools surrounding the lotus blossom provide cool air for the interior and also give the illusion that the flower is floating on water.
Lotus Blossom
ArtScience Museum from above
Singapore
The ArtScience museum is also inspired by the lovely Lotus Blossom. In this structure, there are ten petals, or “fingers,” that rise up around the center of the flower — each at different heights. Each petal contains a different section of the art gallery, and the tip of each one is capped off with a rectangular skylight to provide natural light within the gallery. In the center of the dish-shaped roof is a circle in the structure that collects rainwater for the creation of a waterfall that drops all the way down through the center of the building and into a reflection pond on the lowest level. The rainwater is recycled to and used in the restrooms and for watering the exterior landscape. The base of the building is located underground which helps provide the illusion of the upper floral section floating above the land – just like an actual Lotus Blossom floats across water.
Lotus-inspired Motisons Tower
Nightly Light Show at Motisons Tower
Jaipur, India
When walking up to Motisons Tower, you can’t help but be amazed by the enormous colorful leaf shapes that sprout out of the rectangular base. Three large lotus leaves soar into the sky from each of the 4 sides of the building. The rich jewel shades of the leaves, which are also trimmed in gold, are striking. The real magic happens at night, though, when the leaves come to life with bright LED colors that change every few minutes. Motisons Tower is a structural marvel and a wonderful example of what modern architecture can do.
Wuhan. Wuhan New Energy Centre. Photo: Soeters Van Eldonk
Calla Lily
Wuhan, China
The Wuhan Energy Flower is a stunning example of modern sustainable architecture. Inspired by the beautiful calla lily, the structure soars into the sky with a circular roof tilting towards the sun. This not only allows for solar panels on the surface to soak up the sun’s energy but also for the building to provide its own shade to the tower below. The circular roof also acts as a basin to catch rainwater in order to recycle it throughout the building for bathrooms and watering a garden on the 17th floor. Inside the golden pistil that rises from the center are vertical wind turbines for harnessing wind power. Surrounding the base of this structure are laboratories built in the shape of leaves. Housing the Wuhan Energy Center, which is devoted to the research and development of new energy sources, this structure has zero carbon emissions and uses no fossil fuels. It is an architectural marvel and a great example of sustainable green buildings.